Yesterday marked day one of the first Radian6 User Conference – Social 2011. After a full schedule filled with engaging keynote speeches, fun sessions (note: want to get an audience’s attention? Crank some Lady Gaga), and Radian6 product announcements that will certainly change the way marketers listen to the conversations surrounding their brand, the day’s takeaway was this: social media is where life is happening.
The numbers are staggering. According to Dell’s CMO Karen Quintos, two-thirds of people online are engaged in social networks. 700 billion minutes are spent on Facebook every month. Your mobile device is no longer a phone. As @mitchjoel so wisely said in today’s closing keynote, “It’s a remote control for your life.”
As communication pros have known for some time, just because you’re not an active participant in the conversation, it doesn’t mean people aren’t talking about you. And increasingly, people are talking about you (and your brand, and your products) at a faster pace and on more platforms. If you’re not talking back in a strategic manner, you’ll be left behind.
Social media is now where our lives play out, for better or for worse. And it’s happening fast.
If you’re interested in learning more about Social 2011, check out the website or follow the Twitter stream.
It’s Valentine’s Day! Have you already picked up your card, chocolates, flowers, jewelry, etc?! If not, you better get on that pronto. But these Valentine’s Day staples aren’t the only way to show that special someone you care.
In a recent USAToday.com article, the newspaper shows us how marketers are using social media (like Facebook, Twitter, email, etc) to push their product and brand and help Valentines the world over display their affection in a unique way.
Mattel used Valentine’s Day to write another chapter in the epic love story of Barbie and Ken by asking fans to vote on whether or not the couple should get back together (they went their separate ways in 2004) and using Facebook and Twitter to give Ken a voice. They also turned Barbie’s Facebook page into an online store on Valentine’s Day selling merchandise from the famous couple. FYI – they reunited today!!
We at 360PR also got into the Valentine’s Day promo mood as our Safety 1st client launched a Valentine’s Day giveaway on both Facebook and Twitter of their new S1 product line. Not only did entrants get to enter for a great travel system, but they also got to post adorable pictures of their little lovies on Facebook AND $1 was donated for every entry towards infant health kits for families in need!
Have you chosen your Valentine yet?! Did you see any great Valentine’s Day promotions that you thought were clever/unique? Comment below and share!
Being a Bostonian means two things for certain: 1) You know that the weather outside is not going to get better for the next three months, and 2) You have driven, ridden in, or at least seen a Zipcar in the past couple of years. The Cambridge-based car-sharing service has filled its hometown with cars of all makes and models, parked in garages, on street corners and in supermarket parking lots, while at the same time expanding into major markets all across the country (and abroad).
On Tuesday morning, I had the pleasure of listening to a talk given by Rob Weisberg, Chief Marketing Officer of Zipcar at the Ad Club’s monthly CMO Breakfast. The hour-long presentation focused on the ways that the brand is using social media to engage its customers, and here are a couple of quick things I found interesting about their social media strategy:
- Zipcar operates specific Twitter accounts in each major market where they have a presence, ensuring that all of the information they share via Twitter is relevant to the people following them. This localized effort certainly requires some extra bandwidth, but is extremely important when operating as an on-the-ground, in-market brand.
Last January 2010, we blogged about the Facebook Rules for running contests. As we now know, most of the changes were designed to make a clear separation between the promotion and Facebook itself, and to prevent the promotion from compromising the Facebook experience. They later also added requirements for a minimum ad budget which locked out a lot of smaller businesses from running Facebook contests.
Now Facebook has issued very exciting new promotional guidelines that truly make life simpler and more democratic when it comes to running contests. 360 Social took a close look at the recent changes – here are the key takeaways:
1.Companies can now host promotions ON Facebook (i.e. you don’t have to host the contest OFF Facebook.com anymore) and an ad buy is no longer required to host a promotion. This is great news for smaller companies that may not have big ad budgets.
2. Facebook does not need to approve the promotion before it goes live (but you still have to stick to their promotional guidelines and platform rules.
3. You can only host the contest on a separate application tab, however, and cannot administer the contest on the Wall (this rule isn’t new, but worth re-emphasizing.) Seems like a smart idea as it keeps the News Feed clean.
4. You CAN require that an entrant like a page, before they enter a contest (you just can’t ask them to take other actions for entry – i.e. post a status update, comment on a wall, etc.).
Question for you: what do you think motivated Facebook to change their rules to allow brands to run promotions on their Facebook page? Do you think it was a victory for customer service or is it prompted by the competitive environment – Twitter getting more savvy about running promotions?
A week after Lebron James (@kingjames) put on what many are calling a self-promoting, egotistical spectacle to announce his decision to join the Miami Heat, there are a number of things that I am still not quite sure of from a publicist’s perspective.
1) Was it his idea or his representation’s to have the TV special?
It seems that there would have been much less controversy surrounding his decision had he simply put out a statement to the press saying that after much thought, he had selected Miami.If he had done this, people would have had their say and then moved on. Did his PR team actually recommend that he go on have a TV special dedicated to his free agency? It was not the decision that bothered most people; it was the way he did it.
2) Why join Twitter?
In the midst of all of the talk about where Lebron was going to end up, he joined Twitter. Not to take questions; not to defend his decision; he joined Twitter, he says, simply because he was convinced by friend and New Orleans Hornets PG Chris Paul. It could have been his management who suggested it to create additional buzz about his decision, but he certainly isn’t replying to any of his fans/enemies on Twitter. And there is a LOT being said (trust me or search replies to @kingjames).
Cavaliers Fans Feel Burnt By James
3) Was this ultimately a good or a bad move for Lebron’s brand image?
Sellout. Traitor. These are a couple of the milder names he has been called over the past week. But at the same time, his name and face are everywhere. We all know the saying ‘there’s no such thing as bad PR,’ but is this true for Lebron? The response to his decision seems overwhelmingly negative (unless you live in Miami, where I am sure they have not stopped partying), and many people have said that even if he wins an NBA Championship this year he will not be up there with the all-time greats. If that ends up being the case and his image is forever damaged, I think it is fair to say that this is one publicity stunt gone wrong.
What do you think? Did the “Lebron Show” help or hurt King James?
BP currently has a brand image problem on their hands. You know it. I know it. But I’m not just talking about the devastation to their image (and the environment) surrounding the Gulf oil spill.
If you’re active on Twitter, you may be following @BPGlobalPR. And if you’re in the business of brand preservation and advancement, I’m sure you find these Tweets to be an interesting example of how social media allows individuals to have a voice (and a loud one, in this case) against brands who are viewed as not having the public’s best interests in mind.
The Tweets from this fake BP Twitter account have been using parody and humor to criticize BP’s response to the oil spill and the massive environmental damage. To-date, there has been no word of the company trying to shut this account down, which is leaving many people scratching their heads and asking, “WHY?” AdAge examines this question in a recent article. BP is apparently well-aware of these Tweets but is claiming to have no intention of shutting it down. Perhaps this is a good thing, since a forceful cease and desist would undoubtedly rile up the social media world and cause further damage to the brand name.
If you were BP, would you seek to shut down @BPGlobalPR?
First came the iPod, then the iPhone, and now, the iPad; a tablet computer released this past Saturday which has thrown Apple devotees, average Americans and techies alike, into a tizzy. Though the device has only been available for a little over 72 hours, Apple is reporting that over 300,000 units have already been sold, with more than 1 million apps downloaded.
While we don’t yet have our hands on an iPad to give you a first-person review, we think Engadget’s ‘iPad Apple Review‘ is pretty thorough.
The verdict: You tell us. If you’re one of the lucky ones who already have an iPad, we’d love to hear what you think!
A good parody is an attention grabber, especially when it’s on YouTube.
That’s one of the lessons I learned first hand at the “how to make a viral video” session at SXSW, where along with 500 other people, I had the good fortune to star in a parody video that since it’s posting only four days ago, has already been viewed over 34,0000 times on YouTube.
So here’s what happened. Spoofing the highly popular surprised kitten video – as in viewed 21 million times popular – Damian Kulash, the You Tube sensation from the OK GO band, pretended to tickle a room full of people in the SXSW audience. See surprised SXSW audience.If you like this spoof, check out Damian’s attempt to tickle his pet dog, who doesn’t seem at all surprised. See surprised dog.
The SXSW viral video seminar was led by Jonathan Wells, the creative director at Flux, Margaret Gould Stewart from YouTube, Jason Wishnow from TedTalks and Damian Kulash from OK GO. They were informed and articulate, and it was one of the more meaningful and lively discussions at SXSW. I learned that many popular viral videos happen not on purpose like, Charlie bit my finger. So the question is, how do you create a successful viral video on purpose? Here are 10 secrets I learned from this panel of pros:
1. Don’t be a Debbie Downer. Most videos that go viral spread happiness.
2. Go for a sense of wonder, inspiration and surprise, and create content around the unexpected and the great reveal.
3. Use multiple camera angles and close ups so viewers can develop an emotional connection with those on camera. Watch James Watson on TedTalks to see some awesome camera angles and inspired delivery of content, in turn creating both an emotional and intellectual connection with the speaker.
4. Exclusivity online doesn’t work. Allowing people to embed your video is good common sense. Science has it that the traffic that drives virality in the first 48 hours is due to embedded video on blogs, not on You Tube.
5. Viral doesn’t always mean having to create original content. You can also curate original content from others and provide a platform to help them gain a larger audience for their content.
6. Create a video people will compulsively want to watch over and over again. One way is to think of the most impossible thing to do. Then do it. That’s the approach taken by OK GO on their latest video, which took 6 months, 65 takes and 60 engineers to create. But it averages 4-5 views per session.
7. Metadata is the SEO equivalent of making your video go viral. Make sure you tag your video properly once it’s on YouTube so people can find it. It’s also recommended that you connect your YouTube channel with your Facebook account. This way all your YouTube updates will get automatically posted on Facebook.
8. People are compulsive about sharing human experiences. Visceral emotions in video around love, food, sex, and laughter generally get passed around.
9. Viral is in the eye of the beholder. People who come to YouTube from social networks are more interested in what else their friends are watching. The idea is to understand the mindset that people bring with them and build off that in creating your video.
10. Be quirky.YouTube’s top celebs are quirky and lo-fi, but they draw audiences any cable network would envy.
Without a doubt, it’s always fascinating to see smart, unique, and occasionally crazy concepts come to life. Most interesting are those that connect with a brand and really support brand awareness.
I welcome your comments and love to hear what you see working to hook fans with video!
Click on the two videos below for a sneak preview of the SXSW discussion called “Pass it Back! Kid Apps on Grown-Up Devices” featuring PBS Senior Director Sara DeWitt (the actual discussion is on Monday, March 15 @ 5 PM in Ballrooom C in case you are one of the lucky ones in Austin).
Sara tells 360 that she will be revealing real-time research findings from PBS on what kids are learning by using iPhone apps. From what I’ve seen, most parents have a “do touch” instead of a “do not touch” policy when it comes to iPhones and other grown-up devices, and kids at all ages appear more than ready to embrace the technology. Apparently parents are buying apps to entertain and educate their kids in growing numbers. They also use the apps for distraction purposes, such as long rides in the car or to give their kids something to do while waiting in the doctor’s office (at least it’s their own germs and not someone else’s!)
We look forward to hearing Sara’s research reveal, and you can bank on finding the results here on the 360 blog.
In a new series of posts, we’re going to give you our take on the latest technologies, websites, Apps, social networks, etc. that the world is buzzing about. In other words, should you re-tweet or delete?
First Up: Chat Roulette. Chat Roulette is just what its name implies – you log on and either via an AIM-style text exchange, a webcam, or both, converse with other site users around the world. If you aren’t digging the conversation, just one click and another randomly generated person (note: it’s not necessarily a person, but I’ll explain that later) appears on your screen.
Though Chat Roulette is in its infancy, news of the site is spreading faster than you can hit ‘Next.’ This post from Fast Company describes CR as “YouTube, with even more exhibitionism because everything is live and nothing is being recorded.” The author of the article, Cliff Kuang, goes on to say “self-published entertainment has officially moved into territory I can barely comprehend. Parents: One more reason to lock up your daughters.” I have to agree. In fact, I’m purposely not linking to the site because I don’t want to encourage you to be subjected to what’s lurking on CR.
If your curiosity takes over, however, here’s a sampling of what you may encounter: lots of X-rated activity, scary men in gas masks and people with snorkels sticking their head in fish tanks. You might even come across Nicole Richie.
The verdict: due to complete lack of privacy, the site’s one-click access to underage kids, and personal experience, I say delete.
Have you braved the wild wild west that is Chat Roulette? If so, we’d love to hear about it!
I wonder if there is a Foursquare Anonymous. I’m seriously addicted. Don’t laugh. Once you try it, you will be too. It’s what I thought Twitter was supposed to be – letting people know where you are and what you’re doing, but there’s so much more value-add than that with Foursquare. It’s not just the “I’m here” but also the “and now what” that makes it soooo powerful and cool. This weekend I was in Stowe, Vermont with my son and his friend. Needed a place to go to dinner, so I checked into Foursquare and found that the Whip Grill was just two blocks away. I was also able to get a great tip on what to order – guacamole made fresh at our table! What’s also neat is how businesses are making the most of Foursquare. When I showed the server at the Whip Grill that I found his restaurant using Foursquare, he handed me a free drink. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m also addicted to the competitive aspect of Foursquare. I’m still a Newbie, but well on my way to unlocking the Adventurer badge. Not to brag, but I”m number one on the leaderboard today.
Foursquare is so practical and easy to use too. Even if you don’t have an iphone or blackberry, you can still use the service by sending SMS messages to 50500. Another neat feature is that you can gain points without letting your friends know where you are (in case it’s a scandalous venue). They know you’ve checked in but you’re “off the grid.” And “shout outs” are fun – you do stuff at a venue and then shout out that you’ve done them.
Love to blog more, but I’ve got things to do and new places to see… thanks to Foursquare.
It’s been a fun – and intense – couple of weeks at the office, with Black Friday approaching and the holiday retail season “officially” getting underway. In Europe, consumers start their holiday shopping in early November. They don’t have Thanksgiving to contend with. Here, consumers are starting their holiday shopping later each year – and this year looking for that magic phrase, “gifts under,” their queue to save.
Budget gifts, green gifts, online gifts – we got ‘em, along with an array of creative pitches to light up holiday gift guides. Here’s a 360 holiday “wish list” for you and yours as you hit the stores for Black Friday and beyond (all 360 clients, of course!):
For family fun under $40, try Winning Moves’ 2009 version of the classic board game PAY DAY - cha-chink! Need to really stretch that holiday budget? Bendaroos offer hours of creative play time that’ll challenge the kiddies and keep mom and dad smiling, costing less than $20.
And who can resist a cuddly Snuggie? Look for the new red microplush Snuggie in store, online and on-air this weekend. We’ve sent Snuggie blankets custom-stitched with network logos to morning show anchors and broadcast talent hosting the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and big games.
The point is, we want you to get out (or get online) and shop! There are some great deals to be had and fun gifts to pick up, and this Friday should be Black, not red.
We just wrapped up the latest 360PR Book Club with a great read – Tactical Transparency by Shel Holtz and John C. Havens. It was a lively discussion (to say the least) and this book left us all contemplating…what is the balance of transparency?
In a nutshell, the bookemphasizes that with the Internet and growing use of high-speed connections it is necessary for companies to be transparent. Holtz and Havens define transparency as the degree to which an organization shares its leaders, employees, values, culture, business strategy and the results of its business practices, with stakeholder publics.
There are organizations that use transparency to their benefit, and others who miss the mark. One of my favorite examples is Apple, which was transparent in their response to negative reactions online resulting from a sudden drop in the price of the iPhone. Instead of ignoring complaints from early adopters who felt cheated by the holiday price drop, Steve Jobs apologized in an open letter and offered a $100 credit.
On the other hand, an example from Wal-Mart illustrates how a lack of transparency can backfire. The WalmartingAcrossAmerica.com blog followed the adventures of a couple travelling cross-country, stopping in Wal-Mart parking lots. Customers had a strong negative reaction when it was leaked that Working Families for Wal-Mart (WFWM) funded the trip.
It’s clear that transparency is no longer just a “need-to-know” concept. As Holtz and Havens state, “The flood of social media has brought in an age of digital transparency that is putting the power to create or destroy a reputation into the hands of consumers. Every business today must speak the language and meet the expectations of a new digital population.”
I have been meaning to post about an interesting article from TIME Magazine that ran a couple weeks back, but the end of summer is just now letting me breathe. Operating under the mindset of “better late than never,” here we go.
TIME’s article, “Ann Arbor Kills Its Newspaper – To Save It,” describes an interesting move by Advance Publications, the owner of the recently-deceased Ann Arbor News. Using the Michigan newspaper as a litmus test, of sorts, Advance shut down the print edition of the newspaper and re-launched www.AnnArbor.com – - slashing staff by approximately 80%. The goal of this seems to be to see if there is money to be made in this new media climate by crossing traditional news reporting with social media in a larger media market (BEFORE the paper dies on its own).
Living in Boston, we have become accustomed to the threats of losing our largest traditional media outlet in the Boston Globe. As a regular visitor to Boston.com, I am on the fence about whether or now I would be OK with that becoming the ONLY way I can access the Globe. Part of me says “that’s how you primarily read it anyway,” while the rest likes the way that the newspaper feels in my hands on a lazy Sunday.
The jury is still out in Ann Arbor, as it will undoubtedly take some time for people to make their final decision whether to accept or reject the new format. And as the TIME article points out, “A lot of U.S. newspapers, and their readers, have a stake in whether the experiment in Ann Arbor succeeds.”
I wonder how closely the Globe and the New York Times Co. are tracking the success or failure AnnArbor.com. Do you think this is a model that could work in Boston, or are we too attached to the traditional Boston Globe?
I am on the Board of Directors of the Publicity Club of New England and helped plan a program called “Boston’s Hottest Lifestyle Media” that took place on Monday night. It was a great panel discussion where some of Boston’s leading lifestyle editors spoke candidly on a wide range of topics including how they like to be pitched to where they get story ideas to how they feel about exclusives. The panel included:
Some highly improbable events lately have embarrassed the host states in the presidential nominating process, including Nevada, which held its caucus Saturday night. […]
Brown University senior Malcolm Burnley was working on a class assignment in the library archives last fall when he made a startling discovery: a forgotten speech that Malcolm X, the Muslim minister and human rights activist, had made to the university in 1961. […]
Sales of reclining chairs and sofas are as hot as New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz's touchdown dance. Or, for you New England Patriots fans, as popular as star tight end Rob Gronkowski's sprained ankle. […]
Since the early a.m., U.S. Park Police have been moving into a park near the White House where the Occupy D.C. movement has been encamped for months. Some officers are on horseback and dressed in riot gear, but there haven't been any major clashes so far. […]
One employer just starting to come back from the brink is Majestic Yachts Incorporated, a houseboat manufacturer in Kentucky. Guest host David Greene checks back in with the CEO, Jim Hadley. He last spoke to Hadley in February 2009 as part of NPR's First 100 Days Project about the impact of the recession. […]
The Greek finance minister said that debt talks on a second rescue deal were “on a razor’s edge,” with major issues unresolved ahead of a crucial deadline on Sunday. […]
Inspired by a personal experience, a businessman began delving into the practices of the mortgage industry, including Fannie Mae. His findings have been prescient. […]
Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s No. 2 executive, considers herself a role model for women. But her call isn’t simply about mentoring and empowering; it’s also a business strategy. […]
On the tenth anniversary of 9/11, writer Joe Keohane argues that the real legacy of the attacks is a unremitting anger directed not at terrorists, but at each other. […]
We just wrapped up the latest 360PR Book Club with a great read – 
